Young Love Murder
by Morbidly Obscure
Summary: Love, sex, mind games, and more. It's not wrong, it's high school. Snake, a misfit, ends up entangled in the affairs of Ciel and Sebastian, shool elite who play people like pawns. Let the fun begin. CielxSnake, CielxSebastian, and other minor pairings. Modern AU. Will go up to M.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_They say that true love hurts, well this could almost kill me_

_Young love murder, that is what this must be_

_I would give it all to not be sleeping alone_

_Alone_

_The life is fading from me while you watch my heart bleed_

_Young love murder, that is what this must be_

_I would give it all to not be sleeping along_

_Alone_

("The Harold Song" by Kesha)

**Snake P.O.V.**

_I'm not really sure where to start with all this, so I guess a good way would be to say: Hello. My name is Snake. And yes, I know I'm about to babble, which isn't actually like me at all. Usually, people have a hard time getting me to open my mouth. It's not that I'm sullen. I guess I'm shy. Not that very many people try to have conversations with me._

_But back to the name. Obviously, my parents didn't name me Snake—as far as I know, they do not hate me **that** much. The names are just a thing we do, and by we I mean my friends and I. We all have them. I'm not really sure why, other than that they amuse Joker, who's kind of the leader of our group and wears the glove from a skeleton costume over his hand because he gets a kick out of it. _

_As you can imagine, we are a little odd. Basically, we are the complete and total misfits of our high school. We like it that way—at least that's what Joker says, and Beast agrees with him because she loves him, and Dagger agrees with her because he loves her, and everyone else agrees with them because it's true, anyway. Peter and Wendy, for example, have a lot of disdain for all the "normal" kids. Doll happily calls herself a "spaz" and dresses up in boys' clothes because that's what makes her happy. _

_I don't know what I'm going to do next year, when everybody's gone. The whole group, except for me and Doll, were seniors this year, and Doll's parents are going to send her to some all-girls private school where she'll have to wear a plaid skirt and learn etiquette. I feel really bad for her, and for me as well—I'm used to being on my own, but that doesn't make it any less lonely. _

_Me, I'm just lucky to have people like them who are nice to me. I'm not used to having friends, but Joker invited me to their lunch table on my first day, and I'm much happier for it, I think. As for the names, they're all pretty self-explanatory: Dagger likes pointy objects (throwing them especially,) Beast is always bringing little (and sometimes bigger) animals to school with her, Jumbo's a big guy, and so on. As for me, I have scales._

_Yeah, scales Just patches of them here and there. It's a rare skin condition. I don't mind them, really. They're gray and kind of shiny, and they're really tough, so I don't feel much through them. They're real sensitive to heat and cold though, which can be a pain. Oh, and also, I really like snakes—I have eight. But that might just be a coincidence._

_So anyway, we're freaks, and that's fine with me. Today is the last day of school before summer vacation, so everything is about to change again. I don't know who the next group of "misfits" will be, but there will definitely be one—there always is. Nobody has to guess, however, who the next school "elite" will be: Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian Michaelis, and their group._

_Despite the fact that I don't do much social interaction, or maybe because of it, I'm a really good observer. Ciel and Sebastian interested me from the day I moved to this town halfway through Freshman year, the same way they interest everyone, and in the past year and a half I've learned a good deal about both of them._

_When I watched movies and read books, I always thought the "girls love bad boys" thing was a cliché, but Sebastian is living proof that it is true. He is a Junior now, going into Senior year. He wears all black (so do I, but I guess he wears it differently,) has black hair that's long in the front and short in the back, eyes that are an almost disturbing shade of red, and the sort of smile that I think should freak people out, but instead makes them melt into boneless puddles on the floor. As far as I know, he's never been on more than one date with any girl, because that's all the time it takes to get what he needs out of them. I guess he really must be charming or something, because I wouldn't have thought this was possible. One time, Sebastian's name came up at our lunch table, and Beast said he was "A soulless bastard who should be castrated." Sebastian went on one date once with Beast, as well._

_The real thing about Sebastian though, is that he's mysterious. He's very social, and he always sounds like he's flirting, but it seems like everything he says has a double meaning, and it's impossible to tell what that is. He radiates danger—not normal, "high-school cool-guy danger," like Wendy said once, but **real** danger, scary danger. Instead of being scared though, people have labeled him "dark," "alluring," "seductive," and "sexy."_

_(At this point, I would like to remind everyone that I'm recording these things as an impartial observer.)_

_And the there's Ciel Phantomhive. Him and Sebastian have been best friends for as long as anyone in my school can remember, even though they have nothing in common other than that they were both emancipated minors. Ciel is in my grade, and like I said, he and Sebastian are practically opposites. While Sebastian is "hot," Ciel is ice cold; Sebastian is tall and lithe, Ciel is slender and compact; Sebastian is "social," Ciel is walled-off; Sebastian has a "high-end goth" look, Ciel wears designer jeans and button-down shirts; Sebastian is a "serial dater," Ciel has been dating Elizabeth Middleford (the Head Cheerleader, naturally,) since elementary school. And nobody could call Ciel "sexy"—the word is entirely inappropriate. The only word to describe the way Ciel looks, with his soft, blue-black hair, delicate facial structure, and incredible sapphire-colored eyes is "beautiful." _

_And if Sebastian has mystery going for him, Ciel has made it an art form. Everybody knows his parents died when he was young, and now Ciel lives in his their mansion, operating his father's company, Funtom, but nobody knows how it all happened, or how Ciel even feels about it. The same way Sebastian carries about an aura of danger, Ciel seems to possess an inner light, something that draws people to him like moths to a flame. Around school, Ciel is famous for his icy personality and sarcasm, but everybody bends over backwards to make him happy—a seemingly impossible task. Even Sebastian never leaves his side._

_It's really an interesting phenomenon to see. But I think there's something a little bit frightening about Ciel too—a look behind his eyes that a teenager shouldn't have. But anyway, I never planned on getting close enough to either Ciel or Sebastian to really interact. It was interesting for me to compile these profiles, but I'd never dream of even having a passing conversation with either of them. If I'm being completely honest, they intimidate me._

_And that, in the end, is why I'm babbling right now. Today, the last day of my Sophomore year, I crashed into Ciel Phantomhive on my way out of the lunch line._


	2. Trust Me

**1. Trust Me**

_Trust me_

_There's no need to fear_

_Everyone's here_

_Waiting for you to finally be one of us_

_Come down  
You may be full of fear  
But you'll be safe here  
When you finally trust me,  
Finally believe in me,_

_I will let you down._

("Let You Down" by Three Days Grace)

"I-I'm so sorry!" Snake blurted.

Ciel Phantomhive was currently on the ground, knocked over flat by their collision. He glared up at Snake with a look that could kill puppies.

Snake extended a hand to help the dark-haired teen up, but Ciel just stared at it, then looked to his side where Sebastian had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Ignoring Snake completely, Ciel let Sebastian help him up. As he wordlessly dusted himself off, Ciel never stopped staring at Snake with disdainfully narrowed azure eyes.

Feeling stupid, Snake let his hand fall to his side. "I really am sorry," he whispered, blushing.

"You should be more careful," Sebastian said simply. He started to turn away, but seemed to be waiting for Ciel, who was still staring at Snake.

"Sorry," Snake said a third time, barely audible. He really wished Ciel wouldn't look at him like that.

Then, something amazing happened. An easy smile crossed over Ciel's face, and he gave a No-Big-Deal-Shrug.

"Hey, no problem," Ciel gave Snake a quick once-over, as though just noticing him for the first time, "No harm no foul, right?"

"Er...right," Snake mumbled, not sure what to make of this change in demeanor. He noticed that Sebastian was looking at Ciel with his eyebrows raised, a look that the other boy ignored.

"Actually, from the looks of things, I owe _you_, lunch," Ciel remarked, glancing over at what was once Snake's lunch tray, smashed down on the floor.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Snake said hurriedly, but Ciel waved his protests off.

"I insist. Come over to our table. We'll work something out."

With that, Ciel turned around and started walking, and Snake had no choice but to follow. Ahead of him, Ciel and Sebastian were looking at each other. Sebastian quirked a brow, and Ciel's shoulders lifted in an infinitesimal shrug; Sebastian gave him a loaded look, and Ciel's lips pulled up slightly at the corners. Snake had the feeling that these non-conversations were a regular occurrence.

Snake wasn't exactly a stranger to being stared at, but the number looks he was receiving now was astounding. His cheeks heated, and he tried to duck his head down. Glancing towards the other side of the cafeteria, Snake saw Joker, Beast, and the rest of them staring at him with cartoonishly surprised faces. Snake lifted his shoulders at them in a helpless shrug.

He was so busy trying to avoid the less-than-surreptitious stares that he almost bumped into Ciel again when they stopped at a table towards the back end of the lunchroom. Here, Snake noted several other notorious faces.

Angelina Durless, better known by most students as Red thanks to her shocking crimson bob and all-scarlet ensembles, was a Senior. She had a similar reputation with guys as Sebastian did with girls, and she was a well-known flirt and gossip. Red was also Ciel's older cousin.

Across from her was another pair of Seniors—a good-looking Asian boy and his busty girlfriend (comfortably seated directly on his lap.) Snake recalled that their names were Lau and Ran Mao. The rumor was that Lau was basically the school drug-dealer, which he could believe, seeing as the guy looked pretty blissed-out right now.

Ciel sat down on Red's side of the table, next to a pretty blonde with curly pigtails, sparkly green eyes, and a cheerleader uniform. Snake was nearly blinded by the amount of pink and glittery accessories she was wearing. Sebastian took a seat at Ciel's other side, leaving Snake standing awkwardly, trying to figure out where he fit in. Eventually, he picked a spot across from Ciel a little ways down from Lau and Ran Mao, who were currently making out

"This is my cousin, Red...Lau and Ranmao," Ciel introduced them in turn, as though they weren't recognizable on sight, "and this is my girlfriend, Elizabeth Midford."

"Oh, hi! Call me Lizzie," The girl smiled brightly at Snake.

"It's nice to meet you," He said back, somewhat bemused, "I'm Snake."

"Ah, the one with the skin condition?" Lau asked, never seeming to open his eyes.

"Oh yeah, those scales," Red said, carmine head tilted to the side.

"He has _scales_?" Lau's face contorted in surprise (but his eyes stayed closed.)

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Just ignore him," Ciel told Snake, "the rest of us do."

Ciel, apparently one of the few students who brought their own lunch, rifled through a brown bag until he pulled out a foil wrapped square.

"I wasn't going to eat it anyway," Ciel explained, handing the sandwich to Snake, who, for lack of another option took it.

"Thank you."

"It's nothing," Ciel said, distracted now by the Hershey's bar and package of Skittles he was pulling out of the bag.

After that, Snake was more or less ignored, though he figured it probably had a lot to do with the fact that he didn't say anything. He ate the sandwich and listened to his table-mates talk. The conversation was no more meaningful than it was at Snake's usual table, and the jokes weren't any better. The overall feel was more relaxed though, which wasn't difficult because normally Snake sat at the most boisterous table in the cafeteria. His friends tended to spend the period laughing at, competing with, entertaining, and occasionally throwing food at each other. Also, while Joker was always animatedly trying to engage the whole table and make everyone laugh, Ciel sat back with one arm around Lizzie's shoulders and listened, calm and cool like a king holding court.

"You know, Red, Lau, and Ran Mao are all Seniors," Ciel's voice shook Snake out of his meditations. The dark-haired teen was peering at him from across the way, "so this table will be pretty empty next year."

"Oh...that's true," Snake said, not really sure what Ciel was expecting him to say.

"Those people you usually hang out with, they're going to be gone next year too, right?" Ciel went on, and Snake still wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"Uh-huh."

"So why don't you sit with us next year?"

"...What?" Snake had not anticipated _that_ question.

"Oh, that's a good idea!" Lizzie said, bubbly as ever.

"I think so too," Red smiled and reached behind Lizze to ruffle Ciel's dark hair, "I worry about my cute little cousin being all alone."

Ciel made a face, but tolerated the gesture.

"But Ciel's never alone," Lau spoke up, sounding confused, "Sebastian's always with him."

Ciel facepalmed. "_Anyway_," He turned back to Snake, "what do you say?"

Snake couldn't help thinking that this was a right/wrong question—not a simple decision on his part. He looked across the table and saw Ciel looking at him with those mile-deep blue eyes, and realized that there was only one answer after all.

"Yes. I'd like that"

"Great," Ciel said, and then he smiled—a full, bright, beautiful smile, and it was like the sun coming out of the clouds. It was that smile that sealed Snake's fate.


	3. I'll Be the Death of You

**3. I'll be the Death of You**

_She's fresh to death_

_She'll be the death of you_

_Seduction leads to destruction_

_She's fresh to death_

_She'll be the death of me_

_She's fresh, she's fresh but not so clean._

_Cute face, slim waist _

_Still got 'em in a craze,_

_Yeah I think I'm going crazy._

_I have a long list of things to say,_

_But I'll leave it at,_

_You amaze me._

("The Way We Talk" by The Maine)

"Just go with it, okay?" Ciel said to Sebastian, once they'd slipped into the chaos of Ciel's favorite uptown arcade. They'd decided to skip the last of the school day, seeing as it was pointless, and classes bored them.

Sebastian didn't bother responding until they'd reached the back of the arcade with the imported video games, where it was less crowded, and thus less noisy. Ciel absentmindedly ran his fingers over the slick, black M4A1 deal attached to the Terminator Salvation game. While Ciel was generally not a fan of the noisiness (or rowdiness...or joy...) inherent to places like arcades, he could never resist the lure of first-person shooter games and deep fried oreos. Because school had yet to get out, they had this portion of the arcade more or less to themselves, save for a lone forty-year-old playing a Dungeons and Dragons inspired fantasy game in the corner.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say this isn't a charity case for you," Sebastian said at last, leaning back against the BloodRayne kiosk.

Ciel smirked. He sat down across from Sebastian on one of the motorcycle-models, straddling the seat backwards and making it rock slightly. The screen behind him highlighted Ciel with unnatural neon light, lending him a certain unholy glow in the dim arcade. "Oh. Am I that obvious?"

"No, just predictable," Sebastian smirked back, "but I'll admit I wasn't expecting you to do...that."

Ciel lounged back on the curved seat, even going as far as to close his eyes. "Well, he interests me. There's something...different about him, you know?"

"I think they're called 'scales,'" Sebastian dead-panned.

"Something else," Ciel rubbed his temples impatiently, "though, those are interesting too..."

"I don't even want to know what you're thinking right now," Sebastian said, almost as flatly as before, "and fine, yes. There's something."

Ciel nodded. "An innocence, you would call it, right? And he has walls. I think whatever's going on in his head is interesting."

"Not a bad way of putting it. Okay," Sebastian nodded, accepting Ciel's words and waiting for this conclusion.

"All I'm saying is, he could be fun," Ciel said with a shrug, "I'll get a peek behind those walls. If it's any good, we've got a new game to play."

"Guess I can't say I'm surprised," Sebastian said with mock-thoughtfulness, "you do have kind of a thing for freaks."

"What are you babbling about?" Ciel looked up sharply from his recline.

"Well, you know, that thing you had with Doll, and now Snake..." Sebastian's smile was all innocence.

"It wasn't a 'thing,' okay? Just stop talking about it," Ciel snapped.

"She's into gymnastics, right?"

"Well, yeah, I guess, how does that—"

"So she was flexible?"

"Shut up."

Sebastian obediently shut his mouth and mimed zipping his lips and tossing away the key, making Ciel roll his eyes.

"Look," Ciel leaned forward on the simulation bike to look straight at Sebastian, "all I'm asking is, are you with me on this, or not?"

Sebastian smiled his signature grin—not unlike the one on the Grinch's face when he got a wonderful, awful idea, "Always."

Satisfied, Ciel let a slight smile play across his face and stood up. He hopped down from the bike platform, brushed himself off, and stood up on tip-toe so he could kiss Sebastian full on the lips. It was a short gesture, a brush, but a familiar one.

"Good," Ciel whispered, pulling back. He wandered lightly over to the Terminator game and slipped a few coins into the slot. He held up one of the guns and glanced back at Sebastian, who was undoubtedly thinking X-rated thoughts. "Play with me?"

**OoO**

"Bullshit!" Doll crowed gleefully, as she thrust the pile of cards into Snake's hands.

"No. I'm sorry," Snake said, genuinely apologetic as he showed Doll his two Jacks.

"Ah, crap," the petite girl sighed, "ya got some poker face there, Snake."

"I don't mean to," Snake admitted, and Doll giggled.

The pair were seated Indian style on a rat-eaten rug in a partially collapsed bungalow on the outskirts of town. The lot of them, high-school's flotsam and jetsam, called this place their home. Currently, Snake and Doll were alone. Joker, Beast, Dagger, and the rest had gone out to get booze from one of the many shifty liquor stores downtown that didn't check for ID. They thought it would be funny to get a little trashed and crash one of the fancy graduation parties they hadn't been invited too. Doll had been all for it, but Joker balked at "letting our cute little sister engage in such activities." Snake had wished them luck and stayed to hang-out with Doll.

"I'm gonna miss all you guys so much next year," Doll sighed, taking a filled doughnut from the box of Krispy Kremes open on the floor.

"I'm sorry," Snake said again. There was something liquid in Doll's eyes, and he wished he knew how to make her feel better; he wasn't very good with these situations.

"No. S'okay," Doll looked down so that her shaggy auburn hair obscured her face, "Might be nice to get away from home for a bit."

Doll, like most of Snake's friends, lived downtown. Her parents would never have the money to send her to private school on their own, but her gymnastic performance got her scouted, and, as Doll had bitterly relayed, "the 'rents jumped at the chance to be rid of me." Everybody had been sympathetic, but not particularly surprised; on the days Doll went home after school, rather than sleeping over at Beast or Wendy's houses, she showed up at school with new bruises, hidden behind her baggy boy's clothing.

"So, I saw ya sittin at Ciel Phantomhive's table," Doll changed the subject, cutting into Snake's musings.

"Yes. He was...nice," Snake said, thinking partially about the surreality of the whole situation, but mostly about the way Ciel smiled at him.

"Huh," Doll said. She looked down again, then bit her lip. Snake couldn't help frowning at this unusual behavior. At last, Doll looked back up at him, "d'you want my honest opinion 'bout Ciel?"

Snake's frown deepened; Doll had a habit of being very blunt, and she rarely thought twice before giving her opinion on anything.

"Yes."

"When we were freshmen, Ciel and I were assigned lab partners in Bio. He...wasn't like 'nyone I'd met before," Doll gave a small laugh, but her eyes were far off. Snake let her go on. "Well, we got kinda close, and it was nice. But Ciel...he's not like he seems."

"What happened?"

Doll shook her head, "Doesn't matter. All I'm saying is, if yer gonna spend time with Ciel, y'ad better be careful."

Snake was perplexed. "Do you think...I shouldn't?"

"I dunno. I saw good in him, too. I just—I wasn't the one to bring it out. I don't know if anybody can." Doll stared off into the distance, and Snake couldn't read her one bit. At last, she sighed, and it was all wistfulness, "But damn if that boy doesn't have a beautiful smile."

Inwardly, Snake was in agreement. However, it was something else that resonated with him:_ I saw good in him...I wasn't the one to bring it out..._

_But maybe..._ Something in Snake said, _maybe, just maybe..._


	4. In For the Kill

**4. In for the Kill**

_We can fight our desires_

_But when we start making fires_

_We get ever so hot_

_Whether we like it or not._

_They say we can love who we trust,_

_But what is love without lust?_

_Two hearts with accurate devotions_

_And what are feelings without emotions?_

_Let's go to war, to make peace._

_Let's be cold, to create heat._

_I hope in darkness we can see_

_And you're not blinded by the light from me._

("In for the Kill" by La Roux)

As it turns out, two months off from school was enough time for Snake to develop a painful crush on Ciel Phantomhive. Snake hadn't even caught a glimpse of Ciel or Sebastian all summer, and neither one of them contacted him—not that he'd ever expect them to—but Ciel was very much present in Snake's mind. Perhaps it was because Snake did very little every day other than complete his shift at Burger King and read dog-eared novels in his sunlit backyard (the backyard, because he insisted on being outside, but his mother didn't want him in the front, in full view of passerby.)

Regardless, whether Snake was working the deep-fryers or enjoying the drugging combination of sun's warmth and classic literature, thoughts of Ciel Phantomhive never really left him. Thoughts of those eyes, that smile, that face, and then there were hundreds upon hundreds of questions—What really happened in his past? Why are he and Sebastian so attached at the hip? What's his favorite color? Why does he never seem happy? What makes him as special as he is?

And so on, and so on, and so on. Snake, given his limited experience with this sort of thing, spent a lot of time wondering _why_ Ciel was so ingrained in his thoughts after just one encounter. It was only when Snake heard one of his young neighbors shrieking at a sibling, "You don't never shut up about Jimmy Thompson! You got a _crush_ on'im! You _liiiiike_ him!"

And that's when a figurative light bulb went off in Snake's brain: a crush. That's what this was. It was a relief, actually, to be able to put a term on it, and such a harmless, common one like that. Snake had begun to wonder if there was something really wrong with him for his thoughts to be so stuck on one subject, but apparently, it was only a crush. And the physical symptoms, that went along with thoughts of Ciel? The increase in heart rate, the about-to-puke-but-not-really feeling in his stomach, the occasional heat in his cheeks? All a normal part of it.

It didn't particularly concern Snake that this "crush, " his first as far as he could tell, was on another boy. Up until this point, if pressed, Snake wouldn't have been able to identify himself as _any_ sort of "-sexual," since he'd never felt anything in the way of romantic interest or tingly sensation towards another person—male, female, or otherwise. Why should it matter that Snake had a crush on Ciel Phantomhive, when at least half the school did too?

_So, okay, I have a crush on Ciel, _Snake thought after reasoning this out, _Now...how do I get rid of it?_

After asking just about everybody he knew, Google, and several library books, Snake was forced to accept the horrible answer: he couldn't.

Eliminating a crush on one's own? Not possible. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars. Snake was stuck with it. And he would be sitting at Ciel's table for the rest of the year. Every day.

_Well,_ Snake thought, _this...will be terribly awkward._

**OoO**

First day of school, lunch hour, Ciel gave Snake a neutral glance. The dark-haired teen looked cool and unruffled as always, and maybe a little sleepy.

"Hey," he said simply as Snake approached the table. Immediately, Snake's stomach started doing that wretched fluttering thing, but he quashed it.

_I'll bet he knows already. He looks right through you, and you suck at hiding it anyway._

There it was again: that awful little voice that sometimes sounded off in Snake's head. It'd been there as long as he could remember, but he'd gotten very good at shutting it out. Snake hardly ever heard it anymore, except times like these, when he was nervous and out of his element. At times like these, that little voice could do real damage.

_Ciel does not know,_ Snake told the voice firmly.

_Better hope not. If he knew about your pathetic little infatuation, he'd laugh. Can't blame him—it's **highly** hilarious._

Snake winced, but otherwise ignored his nasty inner voice as he sat down.

"Hello," He said, glancing around the table.

"Hey! You're that freaky emo kid with the scales!" A girl with soft, shiny brown hair and eyes proclaimed. Like Lizzie, she was wearing a cheerleading uniform.

"Ohmigod, Paula!" Lizzie practically shrieked, smacking her friend almost violently on the arm, "Why would you say something like that?"

"Oh!" The brunette turned beet-red as she looked back at Snake, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like that!"

"Then how did you mean it?!" Lizzie demanded, not relenting in her attack.

"I—I don't know!"

Ciel glanced over at Snake, then rolled his azure eyes slowly heavenward. Sebastian caught the gesture and smirked. Snake found it funny as well, even though it made his heart try to break out of his chest cavity.

"So, Snake," Ciel said over the girls' chatter, "how was your summer?"

"Uh, I just stayed home and worked," Snake admitted.

"Oh. That Sucks," Sebastian said with the air of one who really doesn't give a damn.

Lizzie, on the other hand, whirled on Snake, "Oh, I was stuck home too! Why didn't you text me or something? We could've hung out."

"...I didn't know I could," Snake answered honestly. Ciel's expression didn't change, but something in his eyes flickered, giving Snake the impression that he found that answer amusing.

Lizzie sighed wistfully. "I _wanted_ to go on vacation with Ciel and Sebastian, but my mom was all 'young lady, you are _not _ staying in some hotel with two teenage _boys!'_"

The blonde made her voice high and crotchety, and she pronounced the last word like a swear. It must have been a good impression, because Paula giggled and both Ciel and Sebastian looked like they were close to snickering.

"Anyways," the girl puffed out a breath, "how _were_ the Hamptons?"

"I got a sunburn. And there's sand in all my clothes," Ciel answered flatly, then he turned to glare at Sebastian, "Oh, and when we went to these_ awesome _clubs—there were _girls_ there, you see—so _of course_ I had to spend _75k_ on Cristal Methuselah champagne. You know, for the _ladies._"

It took Snake a minute to process Ciel's statement for several reasons:

a. It was the longest statement Ciel had ever said in Snake's presence.

b. It contained more sarcasm than Snake had ever heard in a single sentence before.

c. Cristal Methuselah sounded like the name of a scary monster.

d. 75k.

"What Ciel is trying to say," Sebastian spoke over the crushing hatred of Ciel's glare, "is that we had a great time."

"I don't even drink champagne," Ciel grumbled.

"Ciel likes gay drinks," Sebastian addressed the table helpfully, "like daiquiris and mudslides. With whipped cream and maraschino cherries on top."

"Stop doing that," Ciel snapped.

"I'm just translating," Sebastian responded innocently, "not everybody speaks obnoxious-depressive."

Ciel stared at Sebastian for a long time. "I hate you. I'm getting new friends."

"They're like this _all_ the time," Lizzie giggled at Snake and Paula, "it's kind of cute, actually."

Snake smiled. He was thinking that he could get used to this. Even this...crush, he could learn to ignore it. He loved just listening to these people talk. The way Ciel was gruff but affectionate with Lizzie; how he could just barely contain his annoyance when she and Paula got silly; how Sebastian was completely cordial, without even a hint of flirtation, towards Lizzie; how Ciel and Sebastian could back-and-forth endlessly with such astounding fluidity.

By the time the bell rang, Snake wasn't nervous anymore. He was relaxed, almost comfortable. As the mass exodus began, Ciel leaned across the table, close enough to make Snake's heart hop off its normal rhythm once again.

"Oh, and since the weather's still nice, and Red and Lau are still in town, I'm having a thing at my house. 8 o clock, okay?"

"A...thing?" Snake wondered if Ciel intentionally tried to toss him off his guard every chance he got, or if it was second nature.

"A pool thing," Ciel said, with one of those amused flickers.

"I don't have a car," Snake said. It wasn't an excuse or an apology, just a fact.

"I'll have someone pick you up," Ciel said with a pointed look at Sebastian.

"'Someone' means me, doesn't it?" Sebastian said, arching an eyebrow. Ciel said nothing. "Right. _Oh, of course_ I'll give him a ride. Cause God knows I'm your fucking errand boy."

The corner of Ciel's lips twitched. "Yeah. And don't you forget it."

Then, seeming to get bored of the whole conversation, Ciel turned and strode out of the lunchroom. Sebastian rolled his eyes in an indulgent way and followed, leaving Snake with the rest of the stragglers.

Before disappearing into the sea of milling students, Ciel looked back at Snake over his shoulder, "See you tonight."


	5. Beautiful, Dirty Rich

**5. Beautiful, Dirty rich**

_Daddy I'm so sorry, I'm so s-s-sorry yeah  
We just like to party, like to p-p-party yeah_

Bang bang! We're beautiful and dirty rich

("Dirty Rich" by Lady Gaga)

Sebastian did, indeed, pick Snake up that night. Lizzie had caught up to Snake in the hallways as school was letting out to get his address, and now there was a candy red convertible Porsche gliding down Snake's pothole-ridden driveway. The car looked absurdly out of place in Snake's neighborhood. He didn't live anywhere really seedy or dangerous, but the street was generally shabby and rundown.

"I'm going out now," Snake called to his mother over the blaring television noise.

"Eh...what?" The woman yelled back, but Snake had already gone out the door. In all likelihood, she would forget his existence before five minutes was up, so he didn't see the point in entering a full-scale conversation.

Sebastian didn't glance over as Snake slipped into the passenger seat. After the car had slid out of the driveway and started speeding down the road, Snake turned towards Sebastian.

"Thanks for the ride," he said.

"Oh, it's no problem," Sebastian said, flashing a grin. Both his tone and his smile were polite, distant, and completely inscrutable. He could have been remembering an amusing joke or contemplating murder for all Snake knew. Sebastian gave not a single outward hint to what was really going on in his head.

There was, however, some very angry satanic death metal blasting from the speakers, so Snake thought it was wise not to speak for the rest of the ride.

**OoO**

Ciel Phantomhive's home was not a house at all—it was a mansion. Actually, scratch that, it was an all-out palace. While Snake couldn't help but stare, Sebastian didn't so much as blink as he guided the Porsche past a fountain and a long row of hedges into a driveway packed with more expensive, fast-looking cars.

"Well? Are you coming or not?" Sebastian was already out of the car and walking up the foot path towards the massive oak double doors.

"...Yeah," Snake said, hopping out of the Porsche.

"Then follow me," Sebastian flashed another one of those bright, unreadable grins, "it's a big place. Wouldn't want you getting lost."

There were stone lions positioned on either side of the doors; Snake couldn't help but think they were looking at him judgmentally as he passed.

The mansion was...well...enormous. Every step Snake and Sebastian took seemed to echo throughout the whole house. It was eerie. The rooms they passed were painted in dark, rich colors like burgundy, forest green, or royal blue and decorated with massive mahogany book cases and baroque-style furniture; it was all very "old money," and also very masculine. More than that, Snake picked up an undercurrent to the atmosphere, a sense of dark secrets and mystery.

_This is the kind of place that could have quite a lot of ghosts in it,_ Snake thought abstractedly, _there's certainly enough room for them all..._

After navigating a veritable labyrinth of dimly lit rooms, Sebastian led Snake out a back door to what appeared to be several acres of back yard. There in the middle ground was a tennis court, and behind that, Snake thought he could make out a stable. However, what was important right now was the in-ground pool just a few meters away from the deck on which Snake stood. It was one of those faux-natural-looking deals, with rock edged walls and a free-flowing slide made to look like a waterfall. There was a circle of patio around it, edged by tiki torches. Japanese style lanterns were strung up above it.

"It's pretty," Snake commented.

"...Yeah," Sebastian looked at him like he might be rolling his eyes internally, then did that smile-thing again that. Truth be told, the smile was starting to make Snake nervous, "think you can handle yourself from here?"

It was a rhetorical question, so Snake had to answer, "yes."

Sebastian nodded and headed off toward the wet bar, where a small congregation had gathered, sipping drinks from nice glasses and listening to the Moombahton music blasting from the outdoor speaker system. There was another group of hoverers around trays of peculiar looking finger food (Snake remembered that the term would probably be "hors d'oevres," but most people were in the pool.

There weren't enough guests to properly call this gathering a party, but there were more than Snake had anticipated. He saw some familiar faces—Red was laughing uproariously with the group around the wet bar, Lizzie and several friends were having a splash fight in the pool, and Lau and Ranmao were in the separate jacuzzi doing...stuff. Snake quickly averted his eyes. The other guests had to be at least college-age, but none of them appeared to be over twenty-five. They were all good-looking, and, presumably, rich.

Drawn in by the aquamarine glow and chlorine scent, Snake wandered over to the pool. Immediately, Paula caught sight of him and waved.

"Hiya, Snake!" She called. Before Snake could say anything back, Lizzie executed an aquatic flying tackle pounce on her friend.

"Sneak attack!" Lizzie crowed, an undeniably adorable blur in her ruffly pink, strawberry-print bikini.

"Eek! Paula shrieked, going down into the water.

Some guys playing a game of water-basketball at the installed hoop hooted, as Paula's rather ample charms bounced quite a bit from the motion. The immaturity of the situation put Snake somewhat at ease. It was all very high school, and while Snake wasn't a big fan of high school, he could handle it.

"Glad you could make it," A laconic voice called from the center of the pool, "are you coming in?"

Snake looked past the water-wrestling cheerleaders to see Ciel Phantomhive, lounging on a floating raft at the pool's center with a Godfather cocktail in his hand.

"Well..." It wasn't that Snake was self-conscious _exactly._ He'd never had a problem with his body, but other people sometimes did. But Ciel had invited him, right? So he had as much right to swim as anyone else did. Snake already had his black swim trunks on, so he took off his t-shirt and dove in.

"It's warm," he commented happily.

"Thank you." Ciel leaned his head back on the raft, "I have a state of the art heating system that uses oil from endangered baby whales."

"_Really?_" Snake gaped.

Ciel grinned mischievously.

"Did you...just make a joke?" Snake asked, somewhat surprised.

"It's been known to happen," Ciel's smile disappeared and he looked away. "I hate parties. Actually, I hate having people over at my house," he said after a moment, "so...do me a favor and enjoy yourself, alright?"

"I'll certainly do my best."

"Good," Ciel said, then kicked off in the water forcefully, sending himself floating backwards and splattering Snake with a spray of water. That wicked little grin was back full force. It set off the lovesick butterflies that had recently taken up residence in Snake's stomach.


	6. Young and Bored

**6. Young and Bored**

_Now what?_

_We're taking control._

_We get what we want,_

_We do what you don't._

_Dirt and glitter cover the floor._

_We're pretty and sick,_

_We're young and we're bored._

("Blow" by Ke$ha)

Snake didn't leave the pool all night—he really did enjoy swimming. He'd earned a number of comments on his scales, and a few people looked at him askance, but there were no judgmental stares or whispers; the commanding philosophy seemed to be that if Ciel had invited him, he must belong. At one point, Snake even joined Lizzie and her friends in a game of Marco Polo.

"You've never played Marco Polo?" A scandalized Lizzie had shrieked.

"No," Snake admitted, "but I'd like to try.

It was nice out here. The air had begun to get that little under-bite of fall coolness, but it was masked by the lingering summer humidity. Up above, the sky was totally full of stars—you couldn't see those from most places in the city they lived, and even in Snake's neighborhood they were dim. It must have been midnight when Ciel guided his raft over to the ladder and left the pool. Snake watched as the dark-haired teen made his way confidently over to the wet bar. Sebastian was soon beside him. Another one of their little non-verbal exchanges occurred, and at last Sebastian picked up a glass and started clinking it with a strange, triangular silver spoon from the bar.

"So, Ciel's prepared a special something for everybody," Sebastian said, once most of the guests had made their way over to the bar. Ciel had his arms crossed over his chest, a little satisfied smile on his face, "and it really is special. French-imported."

Sebastian took a few steps to the side to reveal the blond man who'd been working the bar. He'd begun to set a row or crystal goblets along the bar, all filled with translucent green liquid. Several pairs of eyes widened, and there were some intrigued murmurs.

"Absinthe," Ciel said simply, the little grin still in place. At the bar, the blond was setting those strange spoons over each of the glasses, and placing a cube of sugar on each.

"The Green Fairy," Lau whistled, "how _did_ you manage to get your hands on that?"

"I have my means," Ciel shrugged, and at his smile looked more like a smirk.

"This is my favorite part," the barman said, mostly to himself as he finished pouring more liquor on top of the cubes. Ciel and Sebastian shared a martyred look.

"We know it is, Bard," Sebastian said, "just...be careful."

Snake watched, fascinated, as Bard put a lighter to the sugar cubes, sending them up in flames. With a good deal of contained excitement, guests filed up to take their flaming drinks. Ciel took two and brought one over to Snake, who took it and examined the liquid curiously.

"It's called absinthe?" He asked.

"Mm. It's very good," Ciel traced the stem of his glass "My favorite."

"Oh, okay."

"Well, bombs away." Ciel pulled out the spoon, dropping the caramelizing sugar into his drink. Snake imitated the gesture and watched as the emerald-hued liquid turn cloudy. There was something hypnotic about the color.

"It tastes like licorice," Snake commented, "I like it."

Ciel nodded, "me too."

**OoO**

So, about a half an hour later, things got strange. Snake's vision got kind of tunnely, and his hearing got kind of echoey, and occasionally the world seemed to spin. Snake could only assume the absinthe was at fault, but it was actually kind of cool because he didn't feel drunk like he did when Dagger brought vodka from his father's liquor cabinet to share with the rest of them. He felt a little different, a little lighter, but his thoughts weren't even the slightest bit hazy—actually, they were clearer than ever.

The sweet taste, the startling lucidity—Snake could see why this was Ciel's favorite drink.

Snake could see a difference in Ciel too. The teen was brighter than before, looser. His eyes had a light in them. Actually, Snake had started to see a glowing white aura surrounding Ciel, but he could also blame the absinthe for that. Ciel, who usually took the back seat socially, was now entertaining a fair-sized group of the guests.

"...And so anyway, Sebastian pretty much knocked the guy unconscious. Actually, we thought he was dead, but it's a good thing he was just out because if he was dead there would have been an investigation, and we may have been charged.. That would have been annoying, and it would be bad press."

Ciel was recalling a very excellent story. It had managed to make the listeners laugh uproariously, gasp in shock, and cringe in horror—pretty much in that order.

"Do you still have the dress, Ciel?" Lau asked.

"No. I burned it, naturally," Ciel said with a snort.

"And I went to such trouble to pick it out," Red sighed, "that was a one of a kind Dior, you know. And the accessories were all Chanel."

"I still can't believe you wore that," Sebastian mused in happy memory.

"A bet is a bet," Ciel sighed, "though I wouldn't have agreed to those crazy terms if I hadn't been _sure _you'd lose."

"But I didn't," Sebastian smirked.

"It was the worst Halloween of my life," Ciel said pointedly, "but I have to admit it's funny—that pervert is still out looking for 'his robin,' and he can't show his face in public since I leaked the story online. He's still got his money, but no one will come to his social functions anymore—certainly not that Halloween Ball."

Everybody got a good laugh out of that, and Ciel even joined them with a chuckle. His laughter, however, turned into a bout of coughing.

"Dammit, Ciel," Sebastian said, grabbing a towel off a recliner and handing it to Ciel, "put something on. Are you trying to give yourself an asthma attack?"

Ciel grabbed the towel, looking annoyed. "Yeah, yeah. Do me a favor and stop trying mother me."

Nobody seemed particularly effected by this exchange, and Snake might have thought nothing of it otherwise, but the strange clarity lent by the absinthe made him notice something—a resonance to it, a whisper of importance. He didn't know what it was, but suddenly, the glow around Ciel seemed to extend into a shimmering strand, a delicate cord of light that connected him and Sebastian. Snake blinked, and it was gone.

Absinthe...wow.

**OoO**

Around 2am, the guests started to file out to their expensive cars, thanking Ciel and muttering goodbyes. Ciel tolerated the niceties and shooed them off like flies. Snake, Ciel, and Lizzie stood around the fire pit beside the pool. At some point during the course of the evening, it had been lit. There were little piles of white goop around its mouth that betrayed a brief marshmallow roast.

They'd been talking for a little while—really interesting stuff, actually, a surprisingly deep conversation that none of them would remember the next morning because absinthe was a double-edged sword. Right now, though, Snake had zoned out. He knew that he hadn't _really_ seen little red horns on Sebastian's head earlier, but it was really hard to convince a still-hallucinating mind that it was indeed hallucinating.

"So, may I?" Ciel asked, green faerie-lent light still radiating from his face. Snake realized Ciel was talking to him.

"Oh, sure," he said, not knowing what he was agreeing too but not really caring. There was electricity in Ciel's eyes, something vividly alive and mesmerizing.

With one arm still around Lizzie's waist, Ciel reached out a hand to touch a patch of scales on Snake's side. His finger traced figure eights on the slick, silver patch. "How does it feel, to have these?"

"I can't say," Snake admitted, "I don't know how it feels not to have them. They're not sensitive like regular skin though."

Ciel nodded, still concentrating on the scales, "do you feel this?"

Ciel's touch, cool from being in the water, did feel nice in contrast to the heat wafting from the fire pit, but it barely stimulate the nerve-endings like skin-on-skin contact would... "Not really."

"How about this?" Ciel asked, raising his hand to a smaller patch to the left of Snake's chest, right over his heart. Snake shuddered inside because he knew Ciel must be feeling his trip-hammer heartbeat.

"N-no," Snake stuttered. It was true—there was still no nerve-ending effect, but Snake couldn't help but feel that he was lying.

Snake was glad when Ciel took his hand away, but he missed it almost immediately. Ciel's face betrayed nothing. "Huh."

Beside him, Lizzie was swaying on her feet. Her eyes had actually drifted close, but now she turned to Ciel. In the soft lantern light, she looked as pretty and delicate as a porcelain doll.

"Ciel...I need to stay the night. My mom's got a breathalyzer, and it still kinda looks to me like the air is sparkling."

"Alright," Ciel said, "did you have Paula call to say you were sleeping over with her?"

"Mm-hm," Lizzie nodded.

"Sebastian," Ciel called to the raven-haired teen who was currently chatting with Lau and Red by the Jacuzzi, "I'm going to bring Lizzie up to her room. Do you think you could give Snake a ride home?"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "You do know I just drank about 500 mililiters of wormwood-infused, 140-proof alcohol, right?"

"You seem pretty sober to me, smart-ass," Ciel retorted, "if it helps, you can take the Lamborghini. Try not to trash it."

On the way back home, Snake had the feeling he might just vomit on the Lamborghini's dashboard from a combination of _extremely_ potent spirits, Sebastian's psychotic speeding, and the violent Slayer music said psychotic speeder was blasting. He also sensed that Sebastian was quietly enjoying his discomfort.

"Don't throw up," Sebastian said when Snake began to look especially green, "knowing Ciel, he'd make me clean it up."

"S-sorry," Snake said, clutching his stomach.

Sebastian sighed, "try closing your eyes."

Snake did so...and promptly fell asleep. He would wake up the next morning in a tangled heap on his front lawn.

**OoO**

When Sebastian returned to the Phantomhive estate, Ciel had already put Lizzie to bed and was sitting outside one one of the swing chairs hanging from the deck's ceiling. Ciel stared pensively out into the distance and didn't seem to notice as Sebastian approached.

"Waiting for me?" Sebastian asked. He'd been hoping to make Ciel jump, but it seemed the other teen had already registered his presence.

"Don't flatter yourself," Ciel scoffed, but he got up and walked into the mansion alongside Sebastian. As they were passing through the foyer on their way to the stairs, Ciel stumbled. Sebastian immediately caught him. Ciel let Sebastian support him instead of pushing him away like Sebastian would have expected.

"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked the smaller teen dangling in his arms.

"Yeah. I just had the weirdest hallucination that I didn't have legs," Ciel admitted. In this position, his head was tucked under Sebastian's chin, so the older boy couldn't read his expression.

"They're still there, I promise," Sebastian said, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice.

"I know. I'm starting to feel them again."

A moment passed with them like that, silent. It was certainly a strange turn of events, but Sebastian couldn't really say that he minded.

At last, Ciel spoke again. "I was just thinking...it's been so long since right and wrong stopped mattering to me," his voice was somewhat muffled by Sebastian's shoulder, but Sebastian could hear him clearly. "And really, if right and wrong don't matter, not even a little, then...what does?"

Sebastian looked down at the dark-haired teen in his arms. Ciel's question seemed silly to him, irrelevant, but it was interesting from a philosophical viewpoint. "I don't know," he answered after a brief consideration, "but I figure something must."

"Yeah," Ciel muttered. He tightened his grip on Sebastian's other shoulder, almost clutching it, "something."


	7. Damned With You

**Appy polly loggies for the wait, droogies. This story is very long and mostly complete, but there are a lot of bits and pieces that I feel dissatisfied with. In the end, I'm probably just going to leave everything as is. I just request that while reading this story, you take the good with the bad, the serious with the silly, the realism with the melodrama. If you find anything particularly objectionable or ridiculous, let me know. It likely won't effect this story, but it will help me to know what the boundaries are on your suspension of disbelief.**

**Finally, this story contains a very Dark!Ciel (Dark!Sebastian is a given.) If you've already noticed this, than I still have to warn you that it will get worse. Much worse. I've always written my Ciel up to his Manga-verse, cold-and-merciless, manipulative bastard glory, but this fic takes it a bit farther. This version of Ciel is basically what I think would happen as he got older—and less stable. **

**As for other warnings...Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n Roll! No, seriously. This story is largely about teenagers having tons of parties, rampant sex, and multiple encounters with varied intoxicants...**

I smell an M-Rating coming on~~

So, anyway, yes. Kudos to you if you actually took the time to read that long-ass author's note, and thank you so much for your reviews and support! And, more than anything else, sit back and enjoy the show.

**7. Damned With You**

_I know that I'm damned if I never get out_

_And maybe I'm damned if I do_

_But with every other beat I've got left in my heart,_

_You know I'd rather be damned with you._

_Well if I gotta be damned, you know I wanna be damned,_

_Dancing through the night with you._

("Bat Out of Hell" by Meatloaf)

When Sebastian first walked up to Ciel and introduced himself all those years ago, he'd had no idea what he was getting into. He'd been eleven at the time, and a really, truly rotten kid. He was cruel, slick, cunning, and already quite charming—a well-groomed alley cat. He thought he knew all about Ciel Phantomhive, a sad little rich kid who was thrust into the real world (of which he knew nothing) when his parents died. Naturally, the so-called tragedy was all over the news, because God knows the whole universe should go into mourning after a few old blue-bloods die.

When Sebastian had seen Ciel sitting motionlessly on a swing at the local park while the little blonde girl he'd arrived with played in the sandbox, Sebastian had walked up to the boy with every intention of screwing with him.

"Hey, you're the kid whose parents got massacred," he said with a cheerful smile, "my name's Sebastian."

It was a deliberate attack—a sneaky one, under the guise of typical 11-year-old boy thoughtlessness. He couldn't wait to see how the younger child would react. Slowly, Ciel turned to face the older boy with the saddest look Sebastian had ever seen. Deep inside (_very_ deep,) Sebastian felt a pang, but mostly he felt a sense of victory. The smirk that had begun to blossom on his lips froze, however, when a perfect, heart-stopping grin crept onto Ciel's face. There was something in that smile that would make an adult take a few steps back; it made Sebastian re-evalutate just who he was dealing with.

"You know," Ciel said with bone-chilling serenity "I had _dog_ named Sebastian once."

"Funny," Sebastian said with a terrible-lovely smile of his own, "I _hate_ dogs."

Well, they were best friends ever since.

**OoO**

So, Ciel wasn't the insipid, broken brat Sebastian had thought he would be. In those days, though, he was still quite innocent. The ordeal of his parents' death had left Ciel cold and jaded, but it also left him vulnerable. Before it, he'd been a sweet, sheltered little kid, and innocence doesn't just disappear overnight. While Sebastian's attitude towards Ciel was much more caring, protective, and tender than he'd ever expected to have toward anyone, he wanted nothing more than to take advantage of that innocence. Unfortunately, Ciel, with his mile-high walls, gave him precious few opportunities.

Sebastian did remember one day, though...

"_Ow!_" Ten-year-old Ciel cried out as he stumbled and fell onto the blacktop.

"Has anybody ever told you that you're a pathetic clutz?" Sebastian asked as he helped a glaring Ciel up from the ground.

"Shut up. I cut my hands..." Ciel stared down at his bloodied palms, and Sebastian saw un-shed tears appearing in the younger boy's eyes. They weren't tears of pain—Ciel was very stoic when it came to that—they were tears of loss. He was remembering all over again that he had no mother to comfort him over his injury, and no father to tell him to be a soldier about it.

Sebastian had an idea.

"If you want," Sebastian said casually, "I can fix it for you."

"Oh yeah?" Ciel looked up skeptically, "How?"

"I can kiss it better," he said, voice saturated with sincerity.

"Haha," Ciel deadpanned, "funny."

"Didn't your mother ever kiss your scrapes?" Sebastian asked. It was a low blow, but it made Ciel stop and think. He looked down.

"Yeah, but..." He looked very lost right then, and Sebastian loved it even though he knew it was wrong. Then Ciel recovered and looked back up, "it's all bullshit, anyway. It doesn't work."

That was Ciel; Santa Clause, faerie magic, and God in heaven—he didn't believe in any of it anymore. All the same, Sebastian didn't give up.

"Yeah, but I do it specially. I promise, I'll make it all better," he insisted in that hypnotic tone he'd been perfecting.

"You're so full of it," Ciel grumbled, but after a second thought, he sighed, "fine, whatever. Hurry up."

He held up his scraped palms expectantly. Instead of bringing either of the hands to his mouth, however, Sebastian took them in his own. Then, before Ciel could protest, he leaned down and kissed Ciel on the lips. It was a very chaste kiss, and Sebastian pulled away after just a few seconds, but Ciel's expression was absolutely priceless. Sebastian told him so.

"You just—I can't _believe_ you just—" Eventually, Ciel gave up on trying to coherently restate what happened and shoved Sebastian as hard as he could. Sebastian, who'd started laughing, stumbled back a few steps, but regained his balance easily. Ciel turned and started stomping away. "Burn in _hell_, Sebastian."

"Someday, baby," Sebastian grinned after him, "and you'll be right there with me."

**OoO**

Sebastian never tried anything like that on Ciel again, though he often thought about it. He didn't let Ciel forget the incident, though. Suggestive comments and veiled coquetry earned some delightful reactions from Ciel, but as time wore on, they effected him less and less, to the point where Ciel would calmly respond with something like, "Yeah, I know I make you hot," or "I think I'm a little out of your league, Sebastian," or even, "Give it up already. You're starting to come off kind of desperate."

It was Ciel, however, who made the next move, much to Sebastian's surprise. One day, when Ciel was just fourteen, he was doing paperwork at his broad mahogany desk, and Sebastian had decided to harass him. Sebastian couldn't remember for the life of him what his teasing had been about, but he was fairly certain there was a considerable amount of flirtation hidden within the mockery. He could tell that Ciel was getting more and more annoyed, despite his attempts to hide it. At last, Ciel shoved himself off the chair and to his feet, restrained violence in all his movements. He walked around the desk until he was standing in front of Sebastian.

"You have to do everything yourself these days," Ciel said, almost to himself, "can't rely on other people for anything."

Before Sebastian could ask what he meant, Ciel grabbed Sebastian's shirt collar and pushed him back against the desk, knocking a mug full of pens to the ground in the process. Too surprised (and intrigued) to resist, Sebastian let himself be shoved down on top of paper stacks and errant writing utensils.

"Ciel, what exactly are you doing?" He asked, not sure whether he was more _a_mused, _be_mused, or _con_fused. He really, truly hadn't been expecting this from his friend.

"Well, Sebastian, I'm going to have sex with you," Ciel informed him matter-of-factly, "On my desk."

"Hm, how very unprofessional, Ciel," Sebastian teased.

"Stop talking. It's pissing me off," Ciel said, and silenced Sebastian by crushing their lips together, making full use of the leverage he'd gained with Sebastian pinned against the desktop. While Ciel lacked Sebastian's expertise in the art of making-out, the kiss was hard, fast, confident, demanding, and even a bit violent.

"Not bad," Sebastian noted when Ciel tore himself away, "you've got potential."

"What did I say about talking?" Ciel growled, shrugging out of his blazer.

"If you want me to shut up," Sebastian grabbed Ciel's hips, steadying him, "you're going to have to make me."

Well, Ciel certainly did his best.

**OoO**

...And the rest is history. They've been at this for years, whatever "this" was. Ciel never let it affect his relationship with Lizzie, and Sebastian couldn't care less. Ciel could be with Lizzie, and he could have his other little games, like the fling with Doll, or that nasty but hysterical bit of business with Officer Abberline, or this new one with Snake, because Sebastian knew he was the only one who mattered. It worked both ways, of course, as the same was true of Sebastian and his line of (mostly) female conquests. In the end, he and Ciel were one in the same.

Looking back, Sebastian liked to believe that he had some part in corrupting Ciel, in turning him into what he was now, but if he did it was only a small one. The truth was, Ciel's heart had turned to stone all on its own, and both his love of games and flair for manipulation couldn't have been anything but innate. After all, you can't teach that kind of talent.

They truly were awful; they knew it, and they reveled in it. They enabled each other all day, every day. In all likelihood, neither one of them would be half as bad alone. But they weren't alone; they were together.

Actually, Sebastian liked to think of Ciel and himself as soulmates—that is, two thoroughly damned souls who'd managed to find each other.


	8. Poison

**8. Poison**

_Your cruel device,  
Your blood, like ice.  
One look could kill,  
My pain, your thrill._

_I wanna love you, but I better not touch  
I wanna hold you, but my senses tell me to stop  
I wanna kiss you, but I want it too much  
I wanna taste you, but your lips are venomous poison._

_You're poison running through my veins  
You're poison, I don't wanna break these chains._

("Poison" by Alice Cooper)

Waking up in the bushes + the mother of all hangovers + late for school + gym class first period = one of the worst Tuesday mornings Snake had ever had. It wasn't until third period that Snake started to feel remotely functional...and that was when the powers that be sent him through a whole new loop.

The day before, Snake hadn't had any classes save lunch with Ciel, or even Lizzie. He decided that this was a good thing, since it gave Snake less of a chance to embarrass himself in front of them—despite his irrational desire to see more of Ciel. More than anything, though, Snake was surprised when the object of his affections strode into chemistry class that day.

"Oh! C-Ciel Phantomhive," Mr. Kelvin turned from the warm-up formula he'd been writing on the Smartboard to the bored-looking teen standing in the doorway.

"The idiots in the office screwed up my schedule and gave me Honors Bio again," Ciel explained.

"...Oh," Mr. Kelvin stared at him. Ciel stared back, then raised an eyebrow.

"This _is_ where I'm supposed to be, right? AP Chem?"

"Er, yes! Please have a seat wherever you'd like," Mr. Kelvin said, seeming to remember himself.

Ciel gave the befuddled-looking teacher a sugary smile, "Thank you very much."

"Um, you're very welcome, um," Kelvin mumbled. He continued to watch Ciel when the boy's back was turned.

Snake watched as Ciel stopped smiling and rolled his eyes. There was something disturbing about the immediacy of those little movements: grin, turn, stop, eyeroll, like someone had flicked a switch. Somewhere in the back of Snake's brain, there were warning bells, but they were drowned out by a louder alarm when Ciel fixed his oceanic eyes on Snake and made a beeline for his otherwise empty lab table. The alarm only got louder when Ciel dropped his books on the table and sat down, casual-as-can-be, across from Snake.

Cue whispers and under-the-desk texting.

Snake slunk down in his seat. Ciel stared calmly ahead at the board, not seeming to notice the disruption his choice of seating had caused. Thirty-seven long minutes later, the bell rang. Once out of the classroom, Snake waited in the hall for Ciel. He wanted to make sure the same thing didn't happen in chemistry tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Ciel stuck behind in the classroom until the other students had filed out.

"Mr. Kelvin," he approached the teacher, getting much too close for the other's comfort. Kelvin didn't do anything about Ciel's sudden proximity, though, just stood stock still with sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Didn't anybody ever tell you," Ciel said, practically in the man's ear, "that fifteen will get you twenty in the big house?"

"What! I didn't! I mean, I wouldn't! I—"

The teacher stumbled over his words, and Ciel smiled at him again, though this time it wasn't so sugary—it was a "Gotcha" Grin. Then, all at once, Ciel's eyes narrowed and he backed away.

"You stare at me like I'm a piece of meat. I don't like it," he said coldly, "if you don't stop it, we'll have problems. Believe me when I say, I can make it so you'll never work in this town again. Or anywhere else, for that matter."

"I understand," Kelvin looked away.

"Good," Ciel didn't bother to glance back as he exited the room, "have a nice day."

Ciel seemed mildly surprised to see Snake waiting for him in the hall.

"Got something you want to say?" Ciel asked bluntly, though not unpleasantly. The pair started walking through the tapering stream of students on their way to class.

"I don't think you should sit by me in class anymore," Snake said; he rarely prefaced any of his thoughts, so Ciel's brusque way of speaking put him somewhat at ease. At this response, however, Ciel stopped walking and looked at him, then he turned and doubled his pace down the hallway. Snake practically had to jog to keep up.

Eventually, Ciel paused at the boy's bathroom and ushered Snake in with him. Because class was about to start, the lavatory was empty. Ciel sat on the edge of the sinks, crossing his legs. Snake noted that the dark-haired teen's toes just barely touched the ground. Ciel was so confident, so authoritative, that it was easy to forget that he really wasn't very tall.

"Now, explain," Ciel commanded when Snake was standing in front of him.

"Everybody was staring at me," Snake said, finding it difficult to keep eye contact with Ciel, "If you're with me like that, they'll laugh at you too."

Ciel sighed, "I thought it might be something like that." He shook his head, then his eyes snapped back to Snake. "Listen, I don't give a damn what anybody around here thinks of me. They're plastic-people."

Snake frowned, "Plastic?"

"People like them—most people in this world, actually—are barely even real. They mean nothing to me," Ciel explained, and those words activated Snake's distant warning-bells all over again, as did the cold, alien look that had manifested itself in Ciel's eyes. "And you know, you _are_ different from them. I like that. It's not just how you look, either. You're interesting. You're...important, somehow."

Those warning-bells? Forgotten. Now Snake felt a nice warmth in his stomach, rapidly spreading through his body. "You...really think that?"

"You can believe me or not," Ciel shrugged, "but, yes. I'm only going to say all this once, so get it through your head now. I like your eyes. I like the way you talk. I like the strange things you say. I like your scales..."

Previously, Ciel had been ticking items off on his fingers in rapid succession, but now he trailed off. Snake's breath caught when, to emphasize this last statement, Ciel reached out to cup a patch of scales on Snake's cheek. Ciel's hand was warm, and Snake leaned instinctively into the touch. Before he could be embarrassed though, Ciel gave him that mischievous grin.

"I even like these freaky goth clothes you wear," Ciel said and with his other hand, grabbed one of the chain loops hanging off from Snake's jeans. "They have their uses, at least."

At this, Ciel gave a sharp tug, and the next thing Snake knew, he had stumbled forward, and his lips were connected to Ciel's. Snake melted—that was the only way to describe it. His body simply liquified. It was his first kiss, and _boy_ did it show him what he'd been missing out on. Ciel was in control, which was good, because Snake wouldn't have known to do with himself otherwise; Ciel's kiss was firm, commanding, but it was also gentle, slow. When they parted, Snake almost forgot to breathe.

"I also...like...these," Ciel breathed and swept his tongue over the silver studs below Snake's lower lip (snakebites; gotten with a sense of irony and enthusiastic support from Doll and Joker.) The motion sent a delicious shock through Snake's body.

With renewed passion, Ciel brought their lips back together, wrapping his legs around the Snake's skinny waist. This kiss was different. It seared Snake's lips like a brand and chilled him like dry ice. Until now, Snake never would have thought it was possible to feel so weak and so good at the same time. A few seconds of _this_, and Snake lost track of where Ciel ended and he began. That was why, when Ciel pulled away once again, Snake's face remained tilted up, eyes closed and lips parted. When the situation finally dawned on him, Snake opened his eyes to see Ciel grinning at him.

"I can't be _too_ late for class, you know," Ciel explained. Snake was experiencing a sort of temporary paralysis, so Ciel slid off the side of the sink. "See you at lunch."

"Is this—are we going to—can we—" Snake finally managed to speak when Ciel was pulling open the door, but it was a level or two below comprehensible English.

"Yes," Ciel answered simply before slipping out into the hall.

All of a sudden, Snake had the feeling that an enormous steel trap was snapping closed on him. He couldn't bring himself to care.


	9. Sugar-Coated Lie

**9. Sugar-Coated Lie**

_You're so good at stretching the truth  
Into a sugar-coated lie.  
Everyone takes a bite.  
I have been dining with the enemy-  
It was a wolf in sheep's clothing  
Now its so clear to me_

_You say "I can convince anyone, anything"  
Provoking the anger of a jealous God  
Still you spin a web of lies, fear, lust, pride, greed and shame.  
You said no one, oh you said no one, escapes the pain._

("Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" by This Providence)

Snake was late for more classes in the following few weeks than he'd been in his entire life. It happened like this: He and Ciel would see each other in the halls between classes, Ciel would raise his eyebrows and walk away. Snake would follow him until they were by and large out of sight, and then Ciel would drag him into some bathroom, lounge, empty classroom, or janitor's closet where they would make out. Vigorously.

While Snake looked forward to these encounters everyday, he could feel how completely, totally wrong they were. Maybe that was what made them so exciting. But in the end, what did they mean? How did Ciel even feel about him, really? And didn't this mean he was cheating on Lizzie? Snake loved every second of their between class meetings, but afterward they tore him up inside. They couldn't go on.

"We—we just—can't keep doing this," Snake gasped one day in a utility closet. The words were difficult to get out because Ciel was kissing Snake's neck, thus shorting out his brain.

"Why the hell not?" Ciel asked, never ceasing his efforts to unbutton Snake's shirt.

"It's not good," Snake got out between breaths, "won't end well."

Now Ciel stopped, and Snake couldn't tell whether or not that was a good thing. Ciel reached up to hold Snake's face in his hands. "I already told you, I don't care what happens to me, right?"

"Well, yeah," Snake admitted, "but—"

"It's true," Ciel cut him off, "I don't. But I do care about you."

"...What?" Snake wasn't sure he was hearing Ciel right.

"I care about you," Ciel repeated, "so I won't let anything happen to you. So just trust me, alright?"

Ciel's words made Snake's stomach to strange, not altogether unpleasant things. All he could do was swallow the lump that had suddenly risen in his throat and say, "Okay."

**OoO**

That day, after waving goodbye to Snake and starting off to his next class, Ciel stopped in the restroom to spit in the sink. Truth be told, All those sweet nothings left a bitter after taste in Ciel's mouth.

**OoO**

Ciel wandered in late to Advanced French for the third time that week.

"Tardy again, Mr. Phantomhive?" The teacher asked.

Ciel smiled brightly. "_Tres desole, Madame. J'ai mon tete dans l'air ces jours."_

The teacher, mollified by Ciel's smile and perfect French, sighed, "Well, see that you regain your focus."

"_Bien sur, Madame_,_"_ Ciel promised as he took his customary seat next to Sebastian, who gave him a knowing grin. Even if Ciel had been perfectly on time, Sebastian would have been able to read his flushed cheeks and gleaming eyes.

"Zoology ran late?" Sebastian quipped.

"You'd be more accurate in calling it Anatomy."

"That's debatable. In any case, your happy glow is blinding. It's making me a little sick, actually."

"Don't get jealous, Sebastian."

Sebastian gave him an "are you high?" look. Ciel gave him an "I call them as I see them" shrug.

"Well, don't worry about it," Ciel pulled the enormous English-French dictionary they shared up in front of them so he could peck Sebastian on the lips in privacy, "You're my favorite."

"_Pour bon raison, mon ame soeur,"_ The Senior replied with a suggestive smirk.

"Ugh, _ferme la guele,"_ Ciel turned away, disgusted by the term of endearment.

"_Avec quoi?"_

Ciel made a face. _"Mangez-moi."_

"Anytime, _cher_."


	10. Lookin Hot, Dangerous

**Here we are: a fun, harmless filler chapter. Think of it as an early Halloween treat :)**

** eevilalice and Paxloria: Oh God, you have no idea. I'd never seen Cruel Intentions in my life when I planned out this story and started writing it, then the movie popped up on Netflix and I was like "Ooh, interesting," so I watched it and looked back on this fic like, "Well. This is awkward." Lulz. Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying the story!**

**For those who haven't seen Cruel Intentions, it's very much worth watching, and it's tagline applies very well to this fic: _In the game of seduction, there's only one rule: don't fall in love._**

**10. Lookin Hot, Dangerous**

_Jet black, diamond hair  
People stare, I don't care.  
Want a taste? Sure I'll share!  
Gotta be big, I'll take you there._

_Glammed up, fabulous  
Lookin hot, dangerous  
Delicious, so viscous  
I've got you fucking like it's fitness!_

("Lookin Hot, Dangerous" by Blood on the Dance Floor)

The Shops were probably the biggest hang-out spot in the city. They were a little ways away from the heart of town and were basically an outdoor version of a mall. On weekends when Snake started to feel claustrophobic, he liked to take a bus to the shops and wander around. They were a good people-watching place.

Snake had spent this particular Saturday sequestered in a comfy chair at The Shop's Starbucks with a stack of paperbacks and a coffee. By the time the baristas started giving him dirty looks, it was about four pm. Snake took that as his cue to leave. As he wandered out of the dim cafe into the afternoon sunlight, Snake caught sight of Ciel, Sebastian and Lizzie. Lizzie was talking animatedly, arms full of glossy shopping bags. She hugged Ciel, then darted off to a waiting car with a stern-looking blonde woman in the driver's seat. Ciel waved.

The sight of Ciel made Snake's heartbeat hop like an ADD bunny, but he wasn't sure if he was up for social interaction today. Also, Sebastian was with him, and he made Snake just a little nervous. Perhaps it would be best to make a fast retreat...

Sebastian said something to Ciel and nodded his chin in Snake's direction. Ciel turned. Snake had been spotted. Now Snake had nothing else to do but go over and say hello.

"Lizzie dragged us along with her to shop," Ciel sighed when Snake greeted him, "so here we are."

"I'm here to make sure Ciel doesn't get lost," Sebastian said with a grin.

Ciel glared. "You're here because _you're_ the one who told Lizzie I wasn't actually busy in the first place. If I suffer, you suffer."

"You shouldn't lie to your girlfriend," Sebastian said, but he was looking at Snake with that unnerving smile on his face. "And what are _you_ doing here, Snake?"

It was a polite question, but the look Sebastian was giving him made Snake squirm inside. "Uh, I was just...hanging around. I need to get some new clothes for school."

"Oh, we'll come with you," Ciel offered, taking Snake by surprise, "I'm interested in seeing where you get those very useful clothes."

Snake blushed so hard, remembering all the times Ciel's used the chains on Snake's pants to yank him into a kiss. The statement left him totally tongue-tied, so Snake stuttered something affirmative, turned around, and started walking. Behind his back, Sebastian gave Ciel a laughing glance. Ciel did not reciprocate; he simply followed Snake down the brick-paved grid of storefronts. When they stopped behind Snake at a store, Ciel's eyebrows went up.

"It looks like a rave in there. A rave for dead people," he commented.

"Well, have fun, Snake. Not like Ciel's gonna set foot in there," Sebastian smirked.

"What are you talking about?" Ciel asked in warning tones (which Sebastian cheerfully ignored.)

"Well, no offense, Ciel," Sebastian said, "but you're kind of a preppy pussy."

Ciel stared invisible daggers, all of which seemed to bounce off Sebastian. At last, he stomped over toward the store entrance. "You know what? Screw you. I'm having a look around."

Sebastian shook his head. "I'm not sticking around for this train wreck. Give me a call when you're done?"

"Whatever."

"Which should be in about..." Sebastian glanced at his watch, "three minutes."

Instead of responding, Ciel flipped Sebastian off, grabbed Snake's arm, and dragged him into the store. The more Snake thought about it, the more accurate Ciel's previous assessment of the shop seemed. It was dark, with strobe-lights, full of pleather and fishnets, and all the customers and sale's people could easily be mistaken for multi-pierced vampires. Snake had to hand it to Ciel—after the initial culture shock had passed, the teen regained his usual composure, walking with his head held high and responding to the odd looks he got with a cool nod.

"I always thought this would be a good place to play hide-and-seek," Snake mused, then immediately put a hand over his mouth. Had he really just said that out loud? He never had much practice filtering his own peculiar thoughts, but he was going to have to learn.

Much to Snake's surprise, Ciel gave him a small smile. "You know, I bet it would."

Cue warm and fuzzy feelings. _What are you doing to me, Ciel?_

As they passed through an aisle of jewelry, Ciel paused. He fingered a choker made to look like a spiked dog collar, with a bit of chain dangling off it. He picked it off the rack with a little smirk. Along with it, he grabbed a skull stud, presumably for his right ear piercing. When they got to the accessories, Ciel's face brightened noticeably—though it may have just been the demonic red glow from an errant lamp.

"Bullet belts? What's the point of _these_?" he asked, but he sounded quite pleased.

"I think it's the insanity value," Snake offered. Ciel looked at him with a quirked brow, and Snake shrugged. "People with artillery around their waist are a lot scarier than people without it."

Ciel nodded and grabbed one of the belts. "Right."

Next stop was shoes, where Ciel found a pair of knee-high combat boots that rendered him several inches taller with their thick soles.

"These," he remarked, "these I _really_ like."

The so-called novelties brought Ciel even more glee (well, for Ciel, "glee" was a relative term.) He grabbed absinthe gumballs, death mints, gummy brains, and a cherry blood bag. Some of the other "novelties" made Ciel grin in a different sort of way.

"Chocolate panties?" He remarked, "how...interesting." Snake knew Ciel was just trying to get a reaction out of him, so he looked away until the warmth in his cheeks subsided.

When they reached the racks of clothes, Ciel paused to tap his chin. "I guess since I'm proving a point, I might as well do it thoroughly." He eyed the items of clothing in a considering way. "I'll leave the bondage pants to you and the leather to Sebastian," he mused aloud. Abruptly, Ciel whirled to examine the pieces more carefully. Seeming to reach a conclusion, he turned to Snake. "We're going to make a game of this, okay?"

"...Okay," Snake agreed. He was a bit apprehensive, but he was also intrigued.

"It's really simple. I'm going to try something on, and you're going to say the absolute first thing that pops into your head," Ciel explained.

That didn't sound so bad. "Sure."

Ciel nodded once, then started snatching things off the racks. When he had a considerable stack of clothing in his hands, he found a dressing room. Snake waited outside for the game to begin.

Ensemble number one: cream-colored poet shirt, red velvet pants.

"Shakespeare, like 'Hamlet' or something," Snake said instantly, then added more shyly "um, I've never seen you wear red before. I like it."

Ciel grinned, nodded, and returned to the room. Snake found this was actually a nice game. Ciel didn't seem to think anything he said was stupid, and he liked making Ciel smile.

Ensemble number two: knee-length tan shorts with gold pocket watches dangling off the belt loops, a brown vest with tons of pockets and little gears for buttons, and a brown bowler hat with an attached monocle. Snake was once again reminded of Ciel's sense of humor.

"You just walked out of an H.G. Wells novel."

"You really like to read, huh?" Ciel asked with a quirk of his lips.

"...Yeah," Snake shrugged sheepishly.

"I've always wanted a Victorian dagger cane," Ciel offered.

"That sounds about right," Snake said as Ciel returned to the changing room.

Ensemble number three: blue-and-black pinstripe pants with a matching vest, fedora, and steel-tipped boots.

"Tim Burton's version of a gangster," Snake blurted, laughing. He was really starting to enjoy this, and it looked like Ciel was too, from the way he kept biting back laughter.

Ensemble number four: Floor length black trench coat, all the way buttoned...so that was all Snake could see. For effect, Ciel had raked his hair back with his fingers, and Snake found he liked how that looked. Well...he liked how Ciel looked in any way.

"You hunt vampires in your spare time."

"Ha!" Ciel said before returning. Snake felt like he'd really accomplished something.

Ensemble number five: dark gray military coat with skull buttons, matching pants tucked into slick black boots with at least ten buckles up the sides, and a peaked cap.

"...Like you should be holding a riding crop," Snake put in after a bit of staring, "Kind of scary but...sexy." It was the first time he'd ever said the word out loud, and he savored the sound of it. The smirk Ciel gave him was reward enough.

Ensemble number six: Midnight blue PVC shirt with tons of straps and buckles; pants with grommets down the sides and a neon blue arcade gun dangling from a chain on the belt.

Snake didn't say anything, but he turned an incredible shade of red. Ciel smiled widely. He aimed the fake gun at Snake: "Bang!"

Ensemble number seven: Leopard print jacket over a ripped white t-shirt with an obscure pink symbol and the words "God Save the Queen," a safety-pin studded blue-and-purple plaid kilt, choker and a gold bell necklace.

Snake and Ciel stared at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing. They couldn't keep it together.

"I'm sorry—I just—you as a London anarchist—" Snake trailed of, chuckling.

"You know what? Shut up," Ciel said good-naturedly, "I happen to love The Clash _and_ the Ramones. And I own a pair of creepers."

"You're too posh to be punk," Snake smiled. He'd been watching a lot of BBC lately.

"Good one," Ciel's brows arched, "but seriously. Shut up."

And right there, in the dark-and-loud-but-very-much-public shop, Ciel leaned forward and snared Snake in a brief kiss. The dark-haired teen pulled away, smirking, and disappeared back into the dressing room. Snake touched his lips and looked around, glad no one had seen. These kisses were dangerous; they made Snake forget the world around him and left him wanting more.

Thankfully, that was the last of the outfits. Back in his usual clothes, Ciel strode out to Snake, arms still full of alternative apparel. "You're good at that game."

"Thanks. It was...fun."

"Yeah, it was," Ciel smiled, "so what is it that you want to get?"

"Oh, nothing really," Snake said. He didn't want Ciel to wait around while he picked through the clearance racks.

"Oh, that really does suck," Ciel sighed, "I hate picking out gifts for other people."

"...What?"

So that's how Snake ended up with back-laced thigh-high boots (he had his suspicions that Ciel pulled them from the Girl's section,) a fishnet jacket, shiny snakeskin style pants (ha ha,) a handcuff belt, and several PVC shirts with questionable cuts.

"I can't wear half of this stuff to school," Snake pointed out at the register. Sure, he liked these kinds of clothes, but the pieces Ciel selected revealed quite a bit of skin, and thus scales.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have let me shop for you," Ciel replied, utterly unrepentant. Despite Snake's protests, Ciel handed over his Platinum card to pay for Snake's stuff as well as his own (yes, he did go through with buying at least half the articles he tried on.) The sun was starting to set when they stepped out of the store with their bags.

"I'd better be getting home," Snake said, "thank you for...everything."

"Ugh, no need," Ciel brushed the words off, "but for what it's worth, this is the most I've ever enjoyed myself at a mall. So, thanks to you too, I guess."

A grin split Snake's face as he walked away. He got the sense that Ciel didn't say the "T" word very often. He waved goodbye at Ciel before turning towards the bus stop—he probably looked like a dork, but honestly, why should he care?

**OoO**

"Oh wow," Sebastian stifled laughter when he saw the shiny black bags in Ciel's arms.

"Yeah. Suck it," Ciel said after plopping down on a clean-looking bench in the outdoor food court.

"Is that how you talk to someone who just got you Cinnabon?" Sebastian asked, motioning to the tray of warm pastry and icing on the table. It wafted of sweet-spiced deliciousness.

Ciel selected one of the Cinna-sticks (the buns were just too messy.) and dipped it in the icing. He took his time chewing. "I got something for you too, Sebastian," Ciel said at last. Sebastian raised a skeptical brow as Ciel rummaged through the bags.

"Ha-ha. Hilarious," Sebastian deadpanned when Ciel presented him with the spiked dog collar. He took it delicately by the chain, much like one would pick up a piece of reeking trash. "I'll treasure it forever."

"Woof," Ciel said with a nasty grin, then returned to his Cinnabon. Sebastian rolled his eyes and pulled out his cellphone to text an unimportant-something to an unimportant-someone. That was when Ciel started make little "Mmm" noises, barely audible to anybody but Sebastian. Sebastian glanced up and met Ciel's eyes. Almost immediately, Ciel looked away, turning all his attention to the pastry-stick he was provocatively devouring.

Sebastian watched with hungry crimson eyes as Ciel ate. The icing only exacerbated Ciel's antics: he would coat the tip of the cinnamon stick in the white goop, then slowly lick it off before taking the treat in his mouth. He was very much enjoying the fact that Sebastian couldn't seem to tear his eyes away. Finally, Sebastian gained some semblance of control over himself.

"Ciel?"

"Mm?"

"Please stop molesting the pastry."

Another nasty grin. Sebastian couldn't help but smile. He muttered something under his breath that may have been "Fucking tease."

Ciel did stop his unnecessarily-sexual eating, though. He stared off into the distance as he finished his snack. Sebastian considered the rare mood Ciel was in today. Ciel had been like this lately—playful, mischievous. Sebastian knew this behavior; he was one of the very few people to ever witness it. Ciel's puckish moods weren't unheard of, but they weren't common, either. More importantly, they didn't endure for very long, so Sebastian had learned to enjoy them while they lasted. Lately, however, these good turns of humor were becoming increasingly common. Sebastian knew that it had everything to do with Snake. See, Ciel was like a little kid with a new toy—he was delighted by the novelty and having a hell of a time playing with it. Sebastian found it kind of cute, actually.

There was something else, though...

As Sebastian looked at Ciel's face, he saw that there was a miniscule upward tilt to the younger teen's lips, and a pleasant look in his sapphire eyes. Right now, Ciel was content, happy. Not only was he happy, but he was happy after _shopping_, which he _hated_.

_Who are you, and what have you done with Ciel?_

The thought brought a smirk to Sebastian's lips. Yes, he'd also seen Ciel like this in the past. On very rare occasion, Sebastian had succeeded in an attempt to make Ciel forget himself for a little while, to truly enjoy life. Sebastian wouldn't admit it to Ciel, but those moments brought him profound pleasure. And now it would seem that Snake was making Ciel happy. Well, this was a situation Sebastian would have to keep an eye on.

It would be bad for everybody if Ciel got _too_ attached to his new toy.


	11. Playtime For the Young and Rich

**11. Playtime for the Young and Rich**

_The city is at war, playtime for the young and rich  
Ignore me if you see me, cause I just don't give a shit  
The city is at war, bless the young and rich  
With designer drugs and designer friends._

Here's how it goes, it's about who you know  
If you got money, you get in for free  
Get on your knee's, if you wanna reach the top  
The party never stops, never stops, don't stop, don't stop, no  
Come on, stick around, we'll see how it ends  
Get the money and run, meet me at the parking lot  
Bang, bang, shoot 'em up, yeah!

("The City is at War" by Cobra Starship)

"Be at the weight room right after fourth period," Ciel told Snake as the bell rang, effectively ending chemistry for the day.

"Why?" Snake asked, though chances were, he'd go no matter what Ciel's answer was.

"You'll see," Ciel said with a smile. It was one of his "I've-got-so-many-secrets" smiles. He wouldn't say anything more on the matter.

One period later, Snake made his way to the weight room as stealthily as possible. It was a rarely used facility in the school's basement, and it distinctly resembled a dungeon. Ciel and Sebastian were already waiting for him by the door to said dungeon.

"We're cutting," Ciel informed him, "I've got some stuff to take care of in town. Want to come?"

Snake had skipped classes before, like lunch or study hall with Doll, but he'd never missed over half a day like this. "Well..."

"We'll get into the school database and erase the absences later," Sebastian assured him. Snake didn't know that was possible, but he believed that if anyone would figure out how to do it, it would be Ciel and Sebastian.

"Why not?"

"That's what I like to here," Ciel grinned, "shall we?"

Ciel and Sebastian headed into the pitch-black weight room. Snake, somewhat confused, followed them. Sebastian reached the door on the room's side first, with Ciel and Snake close behind. The lock on this door was an old-fashioned one, not automated like those on the rest of the school's exits. Sebastian jimmied it with a pocket knife, and then they were out in blinding autumn sunshine.

"That was pretty cool," Snake said.

"Eh," Ciel shrugged, bored. Sebastian just smiled.

Ciel's car du jour stood out like a sore thumb in the school parking lot. It was a pristine black corvette vaguely reminiscent of the Bat-Mobile. Snake wondered just how many cars Ciel owned. Wordlessly, Ciel unlocked the car, tossed Sebastian the keys, and slid into the passenger seat.

"What was the point of you getting your drivers license, again?" Sebastian asked rhetorically, taking his place behind the steering wheel.

"Why should I drive when you can do it for me?" Ciel shot back.

Snake made himself comfortable in the backseat. He liked the cool, black leather interior. Ciel turned in his seat to talk idly with him. Snake really wanted to know where they were going, but Ciel wasn't dropping any hints. Sebastian was driving at that stomach-flipping speed again, and Trent Razor was wailing over the excellent speaker-system about "The Perfect Drug." It was kind of fun, in a dizzying sort of way.

"Ugh, Sebastian, this music sucks," Ciel brought his attention back to his raven-haired friend. Snake actually rather liked Nine Inch Nails, and he had the feeling Ciel's complaint was more part of routine than anything else, but he didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry, Ciel. What would _you_ like to listen to?" Sebastian asked in patronizing tones.

Ciel flipped through the XM stations until he found an obscurely named Panic! At the Disco song. He settled back contentedly in his seat. Even Snake noticed that Ciel had been in an especially good mood lately. As Snake stared out the tinted windows, he became more and more alarmed. They were headed decisively downtown, into the dirty bowels of the city.

"Ciel has business in these parts," Sebastian explained cryptically. Ciel grinned. Snakes nerves jumped.

Finally, Sebastian parked the Corvette on a trash-ridden street lined with dilapidated old buildings. Snake thought that one would have to be insane to leave such a car sitting around here, but that was exactly what Ciel and Sebastian did. With great trepidation, Snake got out of the Bat-Mobile with his two companions. He'd been to this area of the city from time to time; it was where most of his friends had lived. He knew from them that it wasn't a very nice place. Snake had seen how Beast had always worn a floor-length trench-coat to and from school over her usual revealing ensembles, how Joker was obsessive about Doll always walking home with another member of their group, how Peter and Wendy always turned up at their hang-out with any imaginable variety of drug to smoke or shoot up like they were sold in convenience stores. It really wasn't a place that Snake liked to be, and he didn't like the idea of Ciel being here either. It was dangerous.

Proof of this manifested itself not five minutes after the trio had begun walking to the still-unrevealed destination. Snake felt a prickling on the back of his neck, like someone was following them. Before he could glance back and reaffirm his suspicion, a dirty hand grabbed for the wallet in Ciel's pocket. Snake's eyes widened as he looked over at the shabby, stringy-haired thief—the guy had a knife.

In the next instant, there was a gun pointed at the guy's greasy forehead. The would-be thief froze and stared numbly at Ciel, who stared back with eyes as cold and dangerous as an ice storm. Then, Sebastian was stepping forward and grabbing the guy by his scrawny neck. The raven-haired teen had a cheery smile on his face as the slammed the hoodlum against one of the apartment fronts with a _thud_.

"That wasn't very smart, now was it?"Sebastian asked conversationally as the guy gagged and sputtered against his choke-hold. There was a terrifying gleam in Sebastian's crimson eyes. "You know, it can take anywhere between 45 seconds and six minutes to die from strangulation. Either I break the windpipe, or you pass out and suffocate. Wonder which will happen first?"

_Oh God,_ Snake thought, _he's going to **kill** that guy. Really, **kill** him._

"Sebastian..." Ciel said, catching the other teens attention.

"Oh, fine," Sebastian sighed. He pulled the asphyxiating low-life forward briefly before smashing him against the siding once again, and this time there was a _crack_ as the man's head collided. Sebastian let go and the now-unconscious man slumped to the dirty concrete in an awkward pile of limbs. "Sweet dreams."

Ciel clicked the safety and tucked the gun back into his waistband and took a few steps forward till he was standing over the man. He nodded, satisfied that his would-be attacker was knocked out, and nudged the knife from the man's hand with his foot. Ciel kicked the knife down the sidewalk and into a sewer grate. Sebastian wiped his hands on his pants, as though to rid them of dirt. Ciel stepped on the man's stomach as he walked on, and that was that. Snake went along with Ciel and Sebastian, still not quite believing what he'd just seen.

**OoO**

Snake was surprised when Ciel and Sebastian stopped at one of the many crappy apartments along the way. There was nothing special about the rundown building whatsoever, but here they were, walking up the steps. Ciel paged the top floor of the building over the crackling intercom.

"It's me," he said simply, and the door unlocked with a click.

They entered into the lobby, with it's stained carpet and empty reception desk, then paged the old freight elevator. The elevator creaked and rattled as they rode it to the top, and Snake was convinced it would break any second. They got out, and Snake blinked. With no transition, they were standing at the front of an upscale apartment that must have taken up the entire floor. There was no sign of disrepair, and the colorful, mismatched furniture and decorations Snake could see were both aesthetically pleasing and comfortable looking. Odd, foreign-looking tchotchkes covered every available surface, some of which looked completely worthless and others rather precious.

"Ciel! Good to see you again!" A sturdy, middle-aged man with ruddy cheeks and a kind face came into view. His pale hair was pulled back into a ponytail. The smile remained on his face as he nodded at the older teen beside Ciel. "You as well, Sebastian," he peered at Snake, "and this is...?"

"Uncle Klaus, this is Snake," Ciel introduced them, "he's a new friend. He can be trusted."

_Trusted? With what?_ Snake wondered. He was _glad_ Ciel trusted him, but _still_...

"You're judgment is never wrong," Klaus shrugged. "Would you like to stay for a drink? I have fresh Kona, Orangina, rose hip tea, Kombucha..." he ticked the strange-sounding drinks off on his fingers. "Oh, and I think I have some of those Jaffa cakes you like left...or maybe I'm thinking of the moon cakes..."

For some reason, Snake could barely believe that Ciel was really related to this man. They were just so...different. But Ciel did seem to get on well with him, anyway.

"Another time, Klaus. I have an appointment to dump off this shipment in twenty minutes," Ciel excused himself.

"I think we both know getting Ciel to socialize is like pulling teeth from an alligator," Sebastian added to Klaus.

Ciel rolled his eyes. "As I was saying, the shipment...?"

"Oh, right. One moment," Klause bustled off behind an Oriental screen into a hidden room. He returned with a Candyland box. "Here it is. You said you're selling it today?"

Ciel nodded soberly. "Best to get rid of the stuff right off. I hate having it in the house."

"The Vanel fellow?" Klaus asked.

"Yeah. That Azzuro bastard," Ciel nodded, "not that I'm happy about it."

"If I remember correctly, Vincent never did like his father either," Klaus sighed, shaking his head, "but the Ferros are an important connection to maintain."

"Yeah, yeah," Ciel said as Sebastian took the Candyland box, "thanks, Klaus."

**OoO**

When they were out on the street again, Snake turned to Ciel. "What's going on?"

"Great question," Sebastian said, but his look and tone implied that he thought Snake had brain-damage. Snake did feel kind of dumb; everything that had been said back in the apartment may as well have been in a different language.

"Just family business," Ciel replied as they headed down yet more seedy looking streets.

Normally, Snake accepted such answers and didn't press people, but he was so confused. "That was your uncle?"

"Yeah. My dad's brother."

"And the guy you were talking about...?"

"Is a friend of the family."

Snake frowned. It hadn't sounded that way. "And the box?"

"Is filled with drugs," Ciel said bluntly, "are we done with the 20 Questions?"

Snake stared in shock. He half expected Ciel to tell him that it was a joke, but now the exchange was starting to make sense in Snake's mind. He wasn't stupid, after all, just naïve. Before any more could be said on the matter, however, they stopped at another building. This one was made of slightly dirtied marble, and it was actually very nice in comparison to the derelict structures surrounding it. Ciel tapped out a complicated pattern on the keypad lock. There was a beep, and he stated his name into the speaker.

"Oh, looky, it's Ciel Phantomhive!" A guy opened the door.

_He's so...cliche_, Snake found himself thinking. The man was probably in his late twenties with shaggy dyed blond hair partially in a ponytail and multiple piercings. He was wearing a pristine white suit and smoking a fat cigar. There was a pink scar across his face. He could not possibly look more like a drug dealer. Through the doorway, Snake could see a number of equally stereotypical gangster types playing cards around a shiny mahogany table with stacks of poker chips before them.

"Hello," Ciel said inflectionlessly and entered the room, looking utterly bored and slightly disdainful. Sebastian was right behind him. Snake started to follow, but Ciel stopped him. "Sorry, but I can't let anybody with me that I don't have complete trust in. I hope you understand."

With that, the door shut in Snake's face. He sat down on the stairs leading to the building and wondered how his life had gone so bat-shit crazy in just a few weeks.


	12. Devil With a Soul

**Oh dear, this really took a while, didn't it? Please, from now on if there is a pause this long, feel free to poke and nudge me via pm all you want, because I really have no excuse for slacking on this story. **

**On another note, I have created a blog specifically for this story where I will be posting relevant pictures, quotes, songs, etc. You're also welcome to ask questions of the characters, though there's no guarantee they'll answer honestly. The url is .com (the capitalization is unnecessary, but I like including it.) **

**As usual, please enjoy and review. The next chapter should be up in a week, in which a certain character will make a special appearance ;-)**

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**12. Devil with a Soul**

_Young lady looks in a cracked mirror  
You look the same but you must be somebody else  
We look at shame like a game_

_The ground is coming faster for us now  
We'll hold our breaths until we figure out  
A story we can spin, to keep on counting sins  
And never let our lovers hold us down_

_Now without the spark of hope  
Would you ever let her tell you  
Love is nothing but a hoax?  
You can set it up and watch them fall  
All your friends, they will tell you  
She's the devil with a soul._

("Everybody Is Somebody Else's Secret" by The Audition)

"Snake! What're ya doin here?" A familiar voice interrupted Snake musings. He looked up to see surprised, blue-green eyes peering back at him.

"Doll?" Snake blinked; it was obviously Doll, but he had never actually seen her legs before, so the pink plaid skirt she was wearing threw him off. Doll had moaned and groaned about the required pink skirt to them at school, as well as the other dress code items—a polo shirt (Doll's was an un-tucked. powder-blue deal from the men's section,) knee socks (in her case, chunky gray knit socks that kept slumping down her calves,) and dress shoes (in total disregard for this, Doll was wearing brothel creepers.)

"We had an open weekend at school, so I'm headin' home," Doll explained, then the shock on her face turned to anger, "an' what the hell you doing outside the Ferro place? I don't care what yer going through, Snake. Drugs aren't the answer!"

"I know," Snake's eyes widened, "I mean, I'm not! That's not why I'm here."

"Then why?" Doll demanded, hands on her hips.

"I can't tell you that."

"You know how lame that sounds, right?"

"Yeah."

Doll stared at him for a moment, then sighed and sat beside him on the stoop. "I can't tell whether yer lying or not...but I don't believe you'd be into this sorta thing. So I think you're tellin' the truth."

"I am."

Doll nodded and dug around in her beat-up school bag for her candy stash. "Wanna lolli?"

"Sure." They sat in silence for a moment before Snake asked, "so how's the boarding school?"

"Suckish," Doll said, licking her lollipop meditatively. "The others are doin' good, though."

"They are?" Snake was happy to here that.

"Mm," Doll nodded, "Joker didn't see the point in goin ta college, so he used the money he'd saved to by that crappy night club a few blocks down—ya know, the one that just went out of business?" Snake shrugged, and Doll went on regardless. "He's made it a real cool place. Still a club, but for younger people, like teens and college kids, so they feel like there's a place they belong. Crazy stuff still goes on, but whaddaya expect?"

"It's a good idea, though," Snake nodded. Only someone like Joker could pull that kind of thing off fresh out of high school.

"Beast and Dagger work there part time—they both went to Community together, but Beast's tryin' to get a transfer on scholarship for next year," Doll said, then giggled, "and Jumbo's the bouncer."

Snake smiled. He was very glad for his friends. He still got emails and texts from them, but they had grown apart. "What about Peter and Wendy?"

"Still on that cross-country joy-ride. They're having a helluva time, from what I hear. Scamming people for gas money and food. Generally making chaos."

"Sounds like them," Snake nodded, remembering Peter and Wendy's penchant for trouble, drugs, booze, and shoplifting. They liked to live hard and fast.

"So how 'bout you?" Doll demanded, "what's the latest chapter in yer story?"

"I've been with Ciel," Snake admitted, blushing. "It's—I mean—it's complicated."

Doll must have taken note of his stutter and flush because she nodded knowingly. "Ciel's complicated."

"Doll, would you please tell me what happened with you and Ciel?" Snake asked, as gently as possible. The last thing he wanted was to pressure Doll, but he also needed to know.

Doll sighed. "I had a huge crush on him. Wouldn't have acted on it cause he always acted so cold, but he seemed so sad sometimes so I figured I'd try to warm him up. And it worked."

Doll paused; Snake waited..

"We got really close, y'know? It wasn't ever supposed to happen, but neither of us were really thinking clearly." Doll's face contorted, and Snake wondered if he could handle what was coming next. "We got so close," the girl repeated wistfully, "and then one day, he just...just ignored me. Completely. Like nothin' ever happened."

"Oh," Snake looked at his friend in mild horror, "oh wow."

"I went up to'im in the halls," Doll said, "Sebastian was there, but what else is new? I asked'im what the hell his problem was, and he barely looked at me. Just said, 'We're done, okay? I'm done with you,' with this awful, blank expression on his face and walked passed me, and Sebastian just gave me this huge smile. It was the cruelest smile I've ever seen."

"God..."

"I was furious. Said I'd never forgive him. And I haven't," Doll said, "but one day, when Sebastian was out from school, he came over to me and said, 'I hurt you. I wish I hadn't, but I'm not sorry. It had to be done. That's how things are.' That's the closest Ciel Phantomhive's ever gotten to apologizing for anythin, but I told 'im he could go fuck himself. He just smiled—seemed relieved."

"Why would he do...any of that?" Snake was somewhat dazed with all this information.

"Beats me," Doll sighed. "I used to catch him looking at me sometimes. He looked longing, an' he also looked pretty remorseful for someone who ain't sorry. There's somethin' up with Ciel, somethin' more than meets the eye. I also think Sebastian's a big part of it."

"But...I trust Ciel, Doll. How can I trust him?" Snake asked, dropping his face to his hands, "I just want to be with him, but how can I do that if he's like how you said?"

"I don't know," Doll looked sympathetic. "I wish I could just tell you to stay away, but I know how ya feel. I was there, and it ain't that easy. I wanted to be the one to love that boy, I wanted to save his soul. I couldn't do it, but I think someone really ought to, before it's too late."

"I'm screwed, aren't I?" Snake had never had an opportunity to use that phrase before, but now it was the only one that fit, "Completely screwed."

"Nah, you've got hope," Doll smiled, "you're better at reading people than I am, so use your best judgment an' you'll be okay. Just stay on your toes."

Snake nodded, but wasn't as reassured as he should have been; how was he supposed to use his best judgment if Ciel was involved?

"Good luck, man," Doll gave Snake a boyish pat on the back before hopping up and heading off down the seedy street, waving as she went.

As if on cue, the door behind Snake opened almost the instant Doll was out of sight.

"Thanks for the hospitality, guys," Sebastian called cheerfully to the room full of gangsters behind him.

Ciel stuffed an enormous wad of cash into his back pocket. "And do let me know the next time you want to piss all your money away on a poker game with me. I can always use the entertainment."

Once they were out on the sidewalk Ciel looked at his watch. "We're already slumming it. Might as well make the trip useful."

Sebastian seemed to understand what he meant. "I'll get the car, assuming it's still there. Wanna wait, or should I meet you there?"

"Guess you'll find out when you get back here," Ciel smirked.

"As always, you're maturity overwhelms me," Sebastian quipped, then stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled off in the direction they'd come from.

Snake stayed totally silent throughout the whole exchange. He had no idea how he should be feeling right now, so he focused on not feeling anything, on being numb. He'd learned so many awful things about Ciel Phantomhive today, Snake really ought to have been disgusted by him, but he wasn't. He couldn't be. And that was very frightening.

"How about you and me take a walk," Ciel suggested lightly to Snake. Snake had tried to make his heart a rock, to steel himself against Ciel, but that little smile still got him every time. He would have to be very careful from here on out.


End file.
